[SPT/CWIS] considering using cwis

[Jarah]

Hi

I am the web developer for a non-profit, and we are currently redeveloping
our 'resources library'

We were going to build it in-house, but have decided to look at our options
for getting it done a bit more quickly, and more robustly then we can
currently do here. From what I (and my librarian) can see without installing
it- CWIS will do most of what we want it to do.

A few questions:
1. has anyone used cwis with an external 'members' database? Our member's
list changes daily sometimes- it is all of our staff, volunteers and
whatnot, so we need to be able to keep our 'resources' log-ins up to date
with our members database.  We are currently using filemaker, and are moving
to a microsoft server, but my IT guy says he could export the list daily to
an sql server- which could be linked via the sessions perhaps?
Any thoughts on this?

2. is there a 'wrapper' or 'frame' that can be used for incorporating
blogs/wiki software within the system? (so that the same menus and headers
would appear on 'external' pages - ie- to incorporate a wordpress blog into
the site)

3. how granular is the admin side?  How many levels of admin/user are
available? Can I have some people only be able to upload, while others can
do that and add taxonomy/keywords?

4. does CWIS have saved searches/intelligent user agents like SPT does?
I would like for my users to be able to save searches, but also to have the
ratings system that CWIS provides.  I guess I'm asking if CWIS and SPT have
the same functionalities, and if not, how different is the source?  Is it
possible to tweak the code from one and pull it in to the other without a
tremendous amount of rewriting?



Thank you for any and all advice/help.  If anyone thinks of something I
haven't asked that I should know, I'd be happy to take unsolicited advice as
well!

Jarah